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Modern deforestation is unsustainable, and the National Geographic website reports that areas the size of Panama are deforested annually. Deforestation is also believed to be a leading contributor to global warming. Forests act as storage banks for carbon dioxide, and this is released into the atmosphere during deforestation. Sustainable forestry, changing farming practices, forest stewardship and economic incentives are all working to solve this problem.

Sustainable Forestry

Sustainable forestry consists of timber harvesting methods designed to do as little damage to the environment as possible. Replanting trees after logging, limiting soil erosion, mitigating damage to wildlife habitat and maintaining water quality are the cornerstones of sustainable forestry. The techniques of sustainable forestry are widely varied as they must be tailor-made for the type of forest being harvested. Depending on forest type, logging may involve harvesting just trees of a particular age and maintaining a forest of similar-aged trees, or it may involve only harvesting mature trees and leaving the rest of the forest intact.

Erosion Control

One of the leading causes of deforestation is clearing land for agriculture. The removal of the tree canopy and plowing of clear-cut areas makes the land more prone to erosion and loss of topsoil. The end result is less productive land that has been seriously degraded. Thus, farmers are continually clearing new terrain to replace depleted fields. There are methods that can be used to help maintain soil quality and include matching crops and farming techniques with soil and terrain to reduce erosion. Preserving soil quality will reduce deforestation because cleared areas can be farmed for much longer without having to resort to clearing new land.

Stewardship

Proper stewardship practices can go a long way toward decreasing the damage caused by deforestation. Stewardship involves monitoring logging activities to make sure that all land use laws are being followed, including ensuring the rights of landowners and indigenous peoples. It also involves a delicate balancing act to keep deforestation from damaging the environment, while at the same time helping farmers, loggers and others to benefit from the harvesting of forest products. The Forest Stewardship Council promotes proper stewardship by certifying products that come from managed forests that meet certain criteria. Certified products help consumers choose goods that are not contributing to environmental decline.

REDD Incentives

In addition to encouraging consumers to buy certified forest products, an effort is being made to provide economic benefits to countries that reduce deforestation. One method is REDD, reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, that seeks to give countries economic benefits for storing carbon in their forests. This prevents releasing excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from forest clearing. These incentives are similar to how factories and power plants are given economic incentives to lower pollution. Organizations such as the Nature Conservancy are working hard to find ways to use REDD in countries plagued by deforestation.

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About the Author

John Peterson published his first article in 1992. Having written extensively on North American archaeology and material culture, he has contributed to various archaeological journals and publications. Peterson has a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern New Mexico University and a Master of Arts from the University of Nebraska, both in anthropology, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in history from Columbia College.